Carburetor



Jan. 17, 192%.

1,656,657 R. A. ASHMAN CARBURETOR Filed March 14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 17, 1928.

R. A. ASH MAN CARBURETOR Filed March 14. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i v g wmot supply valve.

Fatented Jan. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEa,

ROBERT A. ASHMAN, or nnransn, CALIFORNIA, assrenon ro unease n. xenon AND MARGARET MAXWELL KELCH,

GARBUB-ETOR.

Application filed March 14, 1925. Serial No. 15,671.

This invention relates to a carburetor or fuel gasifying device for use with internal combustion engines. The invention issomething more than a mere vaporizer similar to the well-known form of carburetor now in use, and is designed primarily to gasify a raw fuel oil, and in turn to mix the gasilied fuel oil. with atmospheric air in certain predetermined proportions.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the gasi fication of the fuel oil takes place in the presence of heat preliminary to the mixing; of the fuel with air.

A further object of the invention is to provide a valve controlling means for regulating the flow of raw of atmospheric air, the amount of such'fuel oil and air and the relative-proportions of each depending upon the speed of the operation of the engine. I

A. still further object of the invention is to provide a plurality of independent air introduction means, valve controlled, and adjustable in accordance with certain conditions.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same.

.llig. 3 is a vertical section view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 is a perspective of one of the control valves, and

vliig. 5 is a perspective view of the fuel oil Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the main tube or bodyof' the present invention. The numeral 2 refers to the forward end. or hollow body of the device in the form of an elbow, the end, 52* of which is adapted for attachment to the manifold of the internal combustion engine with which. the carburetor is used.

Within the tube 1 is a smaller tube 3 which serves asa fuel conduit. At one end the said conduit isreduced and threaded or otherwise attached to a valve block 1:,the feed line from the gasoline or other fuel oil supply tank being attached to the opposite end of the said valve block. .VVithin the block i is mounted a rotary valve 5, in the form shown in Fig. 5, the said valve having a passageway 5 therethrough. Atits opposite end, the conduit 3 carries afuel oil and the fiow' flange 6 which extends to the exterior of the.

outer tube 1, where it isbolted or'otherwise attached to a. flange 1 on the said outer tube. i

The rearward end of the main tube 1 is closed by. a suitable end platehaving a central opening which closely fits the conduit 3 1n the manner shown. The space 7. between the conduit 3 and the inner wall of the main tube 1 is a dead air space for the purpose of retaining heat,'as will be hereinafter described. A shield 8 of the asbestos or other non-conducting material may be used interiorly of the, tube 1 if. desired. Spirally wound around the exterior of the conduit 3 is an electric resistance wire 9.

One end of said conductor9 passes through the tube 1, as shown at 9., and is connected to a suitable battery or other source of electric current. The opposite end of the conductor passes through. the closed end of v the tube 1, as shown at 9",

and is connected to a suit-able ground. During the time the engine is idle, the desired currentmay be received from a storage battery,and during the time the engine is running, from a suitable generator or dynamo used in connection1 with the engine or independently operater.

be a. foot accelerator orhand control. At

its upper end, the arm ll ispivotally connected to a rod 13 which extends forwardly of the device, and is pivotally connected at its forward end with an arm 14 controlling the operation of control valve means to be hereinafter described.

Mounted near the upper end of the elbow 2 of the carburetor is a valve assembly which controls the admission of the atmospheric air to the gasified fuel. The elbow 2 has a passageway 15 therethrough at right angles to the line of flow of the fuel and within this opening 115 is mounted a hollow rotary valve 16, shown in detailin ii 4:. An opening 17 extends through the bottom portion ofthe saidpassageway, and a similar opening .17 extends. through the top The valve 5 is provided with a stem 10 d to an arm 11. At-its of the said passageway. The valve 16 is provided. with openings 18 and 18 positioned at diametrically opposite points through the alls of the valve to torn: a passageway, in line with the openings [7 and 17 to permit the How oi" luel tin-(nigh the said valve 16 and uynvardly into the intake of the engine to which the carburetor is attached. The valve ispreferably tapered in the niain'ler shown and the agewr iy 15 is corrispomliugly tri ja-i'ed. tolled to the widened lace of the parsagewa v 1:; is a cover plate 19 which has an opening 1.9 at its center to permit passage of the valve stem 16 therethrough. The cover plate fi l is also provided with an air intake opening, preferably, although not necessarily, in the form of an arcuate slot 20, as shown. The opening 20 serves to admit atmospheric air e to the interior of the carburetor and cooperates with a like opening 21 in the widened end of the valve 16. Against the exterior face of the cover plate 19 is a regulatii'ig segment 22 having a sleeve 22 mounted upon and surrounding the valve stem 16". The segmental portion 22 is adapted to be adjusted to regulate and control the amount at the opening 20 that is to be exposed to the air. A setscrew 23 is used to secure the said segment in any desired position,

adjustment of the same being dependent upon atmospheric conditions of the outside air. For instance, in winter, the segment 22 will be adjusted to permit less exposure of the opening 20 than would be desirable in summer. At the narrowed end of the valve passageway, a similar plate 25L is attached, the said plate having a like opening 25 therein. The narrowed end of the valve 16 is provided with a corrcspoiuling open ing 26 which cooperates with the opening 25 in the same manner as the openings 2t) and 21 atthe opposite end of the valve. A. scgn'ient 27 is mounted at this end of the valve and is adjusted in the same manner as the segment 22 to regulate the exposure of the opening 25. A nut 28 is threaded upon the threaded end of the alve stem 16", for the purpose of holding the valve assembly in position.

In the side of the valveltl, an additional passage 29 is provided, which cooperates with an opening 30 in the rear wall of the elbow 2. A segment 31 i s mountcd on elbow adjacent the opening 30 and a rod 32 is connected to the said segment 31, the rod extending towards the rear and terminating in a fingerpiecc 33 under the control of the operator of the engine. The said opening 30 functions as an auxiliary air valve for use under unusual conditions. and the admission of air through the said. opening 30, through the opening 29 in the valve. and into the interior of the valve is regulated by the said segmentBI, controlled bythc rod 32. In the case of a motor vehicle the tingerpicce 2-33 will prcterably he mount;-

cd on the dash of the vehicle.

The arm .lxl is attached to the valve stem 16 and serves to operate the valve. The rod 13 coluuu'tiug tin arms l. l. and ti provides tor the simultaneous operation at the fuel inlet valve 5 and the air mixing val ve 1(5. The rod Il -l is preferably so :uljuetrd that the valve it; will open slightly ahead of the valve 5, so that upon the starting at the engine, the heated 'luel crmtainml within the conduit El, or within the elbow 2. will pass up into the engine before the admi 'in of cold fuel through the valve 5, thus facilitating the starting of the engine in cold weather.

In operation, the fuel oil intering from the supply pipe through the valve 5 and into the conduit 3, is heated in its passage through the said conduit by means of the electric resistance unit 9 surrounding said conduit, and this incoming fuel is caused to become gasitied, and in this gasitied state passes out of the forward end of the conduit, up through the elbow 2, through the valve 16. where it is mixed with atmospheric air in the desired. proportion, the flow oi the fuel and the proportion of air admitted being controlled by the valves 5 and it; rv-- spectively and according to the speed at? the engine. It is desired that a distinction be drawn between the gasitication oi? the fuel in the present device, and the ordinary vaporization of fuel in the usual form ol' carburetor. It will be noted that no float or needle valve is required in the present device, and the number of parts is at a minimum. In the present device clogging or flooding of the carburetor hardly possible, and the fuel will be found to flow in an iuiinterrupled strmuu to the intake manifold. In the present device low grz'idr, fuels may be used, and the .luel directed into the intake manifold is so gasilied that every particle of the lucl is converted into heat/and energy with the result that thorn is little, it any, carhonization within the cylinders of the engine, and with the further advantage that the engine will be found to operate more smoothly and more economically under adverse weather conditions than is the case with the present type of can burctor.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same. and that various changes may he made in the shape, size and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the suhjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and. desire to secure by li t" ters Patent is:

ltlfl llf) A carburetor comprising 2i nain tube having a closed end and an open end an elbow having one end portion secured to the open end of said tube, afuel conduit leading through the closed end of said tube and having an open end disposed adjacent to and communicating With the end of the elbow secured to the main tube, heating means surrounding said conduit, means for supplying fuel only to the closed end of the fuel conduit, a fuel valve controlling the supply of the fuel, the elbow having an air inlet therein and also having an outlet for the gzisified mixture of air and fuel, a, single valve controlling the inflow of air and the outletof the mixture and a connection between said last mentioned valve and the fuel valve.

In testimony whereof I hereunto my signature.

ROBERT A. ASHMANQ 

